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March is named after Mars, the ancient Roman god of war. In the old Roman calendar, the year started with spring, a time of new life and new beginnings, and March was the first month of the year. January and February were added to the calendar about 2700 years ago, making March the third month.
March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. A long time ago, it was the first month of the year because it’s when spring starts. January and February were added to the calendar about 2700 years ago so March is now the third month.
February gets its name from the Latin word Roman festival of purification, called Februa. It used to be the last month of the year. It’s also the shortest month, with only 28 days most years. Once every four years, we have a leap year and there are 29 days in February. This is because it doesn’t take exactly 365 days for the Earth to travel around the Sun. We have to add an extra day so the calendar matches up with the seasons. In England, February 29th is traditionally the only day when a woman can ask a man to marry her, rather than the other way around!
February is the shortest month. There are usually only 28 days in February but once every four years, there are 29 days. A year with an extra day is called a leap year. Traditionally, a woman can ask a man to marry her on February 29th!
This is the first month of the year and it has thirty-one days. January is named after Janus, the Roman god of doors, because January is the door into the new year. Janus was also the god of beginnings. He has two faces, one looking forward and the other looking back, so he can see both the past and the future. In January, we often look back on the year that has passed and forward to the new year ahead.
This is the first month of the year. January is named after Janus, the Roman god of doors, because January is the door into the new year. Janus was also the god of beginnings. In January, we look back at the old year and we look forward to the new year.
December used to be the tenth month in the year and its name comes from the Latin word for ten. In December, the days are short and the nights are long. Sunrise is at about 8 o’clock and sunset is before 4 o’clock in the afternoon so a lot of people have to drive to work and drive home again in the dark. The shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, is the 21st or 22nd.
In December, the days are short and the nights are long. The sun comes up at about 8 o’clock and it gets dark at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The shortest day is the 21st or 22nd. The weather is usually cold. We sometimes have frost in the morning and we might have some snow.
November gets its name from the Latin word for nine as it used to be the ninth month of the year. After changing the clocks at the end of October, we have a bit more light in the mornings in November but it gets dark very early in the evening. Sunset is between 4 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon. The weather starts to get chilly and some days are windy or rainy. There is even a chance of snow and ice. The leaves turn brown and fall off the trees. Some animals, for example, bats and hedgehogs, go into a deep sleep for the winter in order to save energy. This is called hibernation.
We change the clocks at the end of October so we have more light in the mornings but it gets dark very early, between 4 and 5 o’clock. The weather starts to get colder and the leaves fall off the trees. Some animals, for example bats and hedgehogs, go to sleep for the winter. This is called hibernation.
October gets its name from the Latin word for eight, as it used to be the eighth month of the year. During this month, we really start to notice that the days are getting shorter. For some people, it’s still dark when they get up in the morning and we have to turn the lights on earlier and earlier in the evening. At the end of October, we put the clocks back one hour so we get more light in the morning but then it gets dark even earlier in the evening.
In October, the days get shorter. It’s still dark in the morning when I wake up and I have to turn the lights on early in the evening. At the end of October, we change the clocks by one hour so we get more light in the morning.
September gets its name from the Latin word for seven. It’s actually the ninth month of the year but it used to be the seventh before the Romans changed their calendar over two thousand years ago.
The start of the September is often still warm, like summer, but then the weather begins to change. Days are usually cooler, there is more wind and rain, and it gets dark earlier every day. The 22nd or 23rd is officially the first day of autumn.
Harvest Festival (or Harvest Thanksgiving) is a day when people celebrate and give thanks for the harvest. This is the time when farmers collect the crops from the fields. In churches, it is usually held on the Sunday nearest the harvest moon. A harvest moon is the full moon nearest to the autumn equinox. This year, the harvest moon is on the night of 24th-25th September and the harvest festival is on Sunday 23rd, but not everyone celebrates it on the same day.
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